Scrooping process



Patented Feb. 13, 1940 PATENT OFFICE 2,190,331 scaoormc PROCESS Hugh Harold Mosher, Nutley, N. J., and Boris Usunofi', New York, N. Y., assignors to The Richards Chemical Works, Incorporated,

Jersey City, N. J., acorporation of New Jersey No Drawing. Application June 25, 1937 Serial No. 150,314

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to novel scrooping agents and to their use in the finishing of rayon and cellulosic fibers and fabrics for the purpose of I imparting to the fibers and fabrics a. scroop finish 5 which is semi-permanent in character and which will survive several detergentactions without the loss of the scroop finish.

Scroop is: customarily applied to textiles by exposing the same to the action of either mineral or organic acids, particularly tartaric or citric acids. The acid hardens the periphery of the textile fibers and produces that peculiar crunchy swish known as scroop. The impartment of this character to silkis easily accomplished. Rayon fibers, however, acquire scroop with considerable difiiculty and the effect when once imparted is transient and disappears after ageing the merohandise for several months. Moreover acids of a pH value of lower than 4.5 produce a gradual m deterioration of the rayon fibers and may reduce the tensile strength of the yarn 'as much 'as 50 percent upon prolonged ageing.

Scroop may also be applied by impregnating the fibers with higher fatty acid esters of lower monowhich likewise possess a silky hand and which will withstand several washings without a very per ceptible loss of the scroopy hand.

While any aliphatic fat alcohol of more than ten carbon atoms is usable for our purpose, we have found that those alcohols of melting points between fifteen and'forty degrees centigrade are most satisfactory. where the melting point is below 15 0., the scroop eifectis transient and useful only under 'specialconditions. .Where the melting point exceeds 40 C., the scroopon fabrics is apparent only when the material is maintained 0 at a higher temperature.

We have also found that the hero esters of the raw fat alcohols equal in effectiveness the scrooping influence of the corresponding fat alcohol.

We have further found that all other factors remaining constant, the aliphatic fat alcohols hydric alcohols. Such a finish has the advantage bearing unsaturated bonds such as oleyl alcohol aredefinitely superior to those having saturated bonds.

The addition of side chain groupings in the alcohol molecules were found to be of minor importance in accentuating or inhibiting the scrooping properties of the fat alcohol emulsions.

The presence of softening agents, such as raw oils and sulphonated oils and alcohols, tend to impair the scrooping influence of the fat alcohol emulsions and it is advisable therefore, to remove these softening agents from the goods before treating the latter in accordance with our invention.

The dispersing or emulsifying agents suitable for dispersing the fat alcohols or their derivatives and esters are exemplified by the following: saturated sodium, potassium or triethanolamine soaps, sludge acid sulphonates or the naphthalene sulphonic acid esters. It is to be understood that we do not restrict ourselves to these emulsifying agents, but we have found them entirely satisfactory for our purpose.

The stabilizing agents to be associated with the fat alcohols and their esters and derivatives may be ,selected from among th gelatinsl glues,

caseins, and other proteins as well as the gums, both natural and artificial, and the starches and sugars. I

The scrooping agents of ourinvention may be applied to rayons and other cellulosic fabrics in various ways. For example, the fat alcohols may be precipitated upon the fibers from a volatile solvent solution and the latter removed by drying. Good scrooping eifects are produced in this manner, though the best results are secured by submerging the material in an aqueous suspension. The following examples serve to illustrate our invention:

Example 1 Example 2 Twenty parts of technical cetyl alcohol are heated to 35 C., at which temperature the melt is slowly added to 100 parts of a sulphonated naphthalene ester containing 2% glue with conthe dispersion through a colloidal ma chine.

Example 3 Lauryl alcohol is borated by heating the fat alcohol above C. with, 12% boric acid. The resultant lauryl borat'e is then dispersed with the isopropyl naphthalene sulphonic acid, and passed through a colloid mill to insure a semi-permanent dispersion. Twenty-five percent emulsions of lauryl alcohol are secured through the use of as little as one-half percent of naphthalene ester.

Example 4 Technical cetyl alcohol is first borated by exposing the raw alcohol and boric acid to a temperature of between 140 and C. The borated alcohol is then dispersed in a solution containing gelatin and triethanolamine soap and greater permanence secured by passage through a colloid mill. The composition of such emulsion is:

Per cent Cetyl alcohol borate 25 Gelatin 1 Triethanolamine oleate Our invention is applicable to the treatment of not only rayon but of all types of cellulosic fabric such as rayon velvets, spun rayon fabrics, acetate rayon material and all classes of cotton goods.

Other types of finishing ingredients, as for example waxes, sizes, sugars, etc., maybe applied with the fat alcohol dispersions, but use of softening agents is undesirable.

What we claim is:

1. The herein described method of applying scroop to prefinished cellulose textile material,- which method comprises the steps of removing all softening agents from the material, and then treating the material with an aqueous emulsion of about 1% to l%,% of a compound selected from v the class consisting of the aliphatic alcohols having morethan ten carbon atoms in the molecule and having melting points between 15 and 40 C. and the borates and amides of said alcohols,

while excluding softening agents.

2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, in which said emulsion also contains from about 0.02% to about 0.03% of an emulsifying agent and from about 0.05% to about 0.3% of a stabilizing agent.

3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, in which about 0.03% of an emulsifying agent selected from the class consisting of saturated sodium, potassium and triethanolamine soaps, sludge acidsulphonates and naphthalene sulphonic acid esters, and from about 0.05% to about 0.3% of a stabilizing agent selected from the class consisting of gelatins, glues, caseins, gums, starches and sugars.

HUGH HAROLD MOSHER. BORIS UZUNOFF.

25 said emulsion also contains from about 0.02% to v 

